A large cast iron Charles V armorial fireplace... Lot 432

A large cast iron Charles V armorial fireplace plaque dated 1545 110 x 93 cm This plaque presents a rich heraldic ornamentation linked to the Empire of Charles V: carried by a griffin and a lion, a shield shows the double-headed eagle of the Empire charged bearing the shield of Austria, surmounted by an imperial crown on a Burgundy cross. On the sides, erected on the capitals of a fluted column, two figures hold a banner bearing the inscription: Donne moi vertu contre tes annemis (Give me virtue against your enemies), a probable allusion to the fight against the Reformation.Under the shield appears the motto of Charles V in a banner around two columns: PLUS OU(L)TRE.On the lower frieze is the date 1545. The plaque is probably of Flemish or Northern French origin and dates to 1545 or one or two decades later.